KARACHI: TB Day observed Sindh may Witness 61,000 TB cases yearly
KARACHI, March 24: According to World Health Organization estimates, Sindh, with a population of around 34million, is feared to witness more than 61,000 patients developing Tuberculosis every year, including 30,000 tested positive for pulmonary smear TB.
The situation makes all the more relevant the theme adopted by the Directly-Observed Treatment Strategy (DOTS), “ DOTS cured me - it will cure you too,” for the World TB Day, this year, being observed on Monday. The theme stresses the need to address the people with TB by involving them in the programme as advocates for global TB control.
The DOTS treatment strategy cures patients, prevents the spread of drug resistance and reduces disease transmission. Yet, according to the World Health Organization estimates, based on 2001 data, only 30 per cent of the active TB cases are being diagnosed and treated under DOTS programmes.
The Sindh government had approved a PC-I in the 2,000 at the cost of Rs95 million for three year, which was currently under revision to include components such as operational research, social mobilization and awareness programme.
Measures are also claimed to have been taken to improve monitoring and supervision, all over the province.
However, studies undertaken with the support of the WHO in Sindh, including one on gender perspective on Tuberculosis, reflect a low awareness level concerning the disease, particularly in the rural female population.
Dr Ghulam Nabi Khokhar, the Director of TB Control,Sindh, maintains that steps are being taken to rectify the situation and partnerships are being developed with the NGOs to improve the access of TB patients to quality health services.
DOTS is said to have been implemented in the districts of Tharparkar, Umerkot (ex-district), Hyderabad, Sukkur, Shikarpur, Jacobabad, Larkana, Karachi City, Badin, Khairpur and Mirpurkhas, while the strategy will be implemented in the districts of Nawbshah, Ghotki, Naushero Feroz, Sanghar and Thatta by August 14, this year, expected to result in universal coverage in the province.
Till January, 2003, a total of 961 health managers and medical officers, 806 para-medics, 188 laboratory technicians and more than 3,5000 LHWs have been trained and involved in the programme.
TB, an ancient infectious disease, which kills around two to three million people, every year in the world, roughly a half of which are women, is feared to hit one billion more people, by 2020.
The global prevalence of the disease is around 16 to 20million, while eight million new cases develop every year.
Most of the TB cases occur in the developing countries and the disease is more likely to hit the people in the age group between 15 and 49 years, which is considered economically most productive age group.
More women of child-bearing age die of Tuberculosis than from all causes of maternal mortality, combined.
Keeping in view the extent of the disease, the WHO declared TB as a global emergency in 1993, while the Pakistan’s government declared it as a national emergency in 2001.
Pakistan ranks eighth among the countries having a high number of TB patients in the world and contributes about 44 per cent of its burden in the Eastern Mediterranean region, mentioned by the WHO.
According to the WHO’s estimates, the country has an incidence of 177 per 100,000 population, indicating that approximately 260,000 new TB cases develop each year in Pakistan, while over 50,000 people die annually due to the disease.
Moreover, one untreated positive patient’s sputum transmits the disease to 10 to 15 contacts in a year.
The prevalence of the disease in the country is estimated around 1.5million people, more than one million of which are partially treated patients, giving rise to a growing threat of multi-drug resistant or MDR TB.
The global targets of 70 per cent case detection and 85 per cent cure rates for those detected, must be reached by 2005, in order to reduce TB prevalence and the related death rate by almost 50 per cent, till the year 2010. Accelerating case detection is therefore critical.
The current year also marks the 10th anniversary of TB being declared a global emergency by the World Health Organization, the only emergency, ever declared by the organization, which is in effect to the date.—APP
